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OCTOBER, 1887.]
Dakhan, where he was at last murdered in the town of Rajpipla by an Afghân in St. 1765 [A.D. 1708]. On this, Bindà whom he had designated as his successor, betook himself from the Dakhan to the Pañjab, where he raised disturbances and committed devastations on two occasions, but fell at last into the hands of the troops of the Emperor Farrukhsiyâr, and was publicly beheaded in the bázár at Dehli. He is not considered a Gurû, and the series of ten ended with Gôbind.
ZAFARNAMA-I-RANJIT SINGH.
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Diwan and chief adviser of the late Mahân Singh. The young Mahârâjâ could not brook his subordinate position longer than five years, and, on attaining manhood, slew Lakhpat Rai with his own hands; which act, although neither blamed or praised by the author, is compared by him to that of Nadir Shah, who, as is well known, had done the same thing to his own son, but in a fit of madness.
12. When Ranjit Singh became the sole ruler of the Sikhs, he strengthened his army, which being, notwithstanding, unable to resist the invasion of Zaman Shah, scattered itself in all directions; in such a manner, too, that when the Afghâns entered Lâhôr, they could find no trace of it. But on their departure, leaving the Pañjab in charge of a governor, supported by small garrisons in various towns, the Sikhs again concentrated their strength; whereon Zamân Shah was under the necessity of returning, but this time the Sikhs were victorious, and according to our author, expelled the Afghans from the land. He admits however that when Zaman Shah again came back to India the Sikhs fled, and Ranjit Singh took refuge in Gujranwâlâ. Having put the affairs of the Pañjab in order, Zaman Shâh evacuated the country, but whilst crossing the Chinâb, he lost several pieces of artillery in the river, which was much swollen at the time. He then sent a letter to Ranjit Singh with a request to recover the guns when the waters subsided, and appointed him governor of Lâhôr." Ranjit Singh succeeded in recovering the gans, and sent them with an envoy to Kâbul, where they were received with great joy by Zaman Shah, who in return sent valuable presents to Ranjit Singh.
11. When the Mughal Empire was breaking up, the reigning sovereign had no power, great confusion prevailed, and depredations were being committed by the leaders of various factions, and the Sikhs imitated their example. Ahmad Shah Abdalt having invaded India from Afghanistan and wrested the Pañjab from the Mughal Government, some kind of order prevailed, but after his death' it altogether disappeared, because all connection with Kabul as well as with Dehli was then severed. The Sikhs then made the best use of the occasion, and subjugated the whole of the Pañjâb, chiefly under the leadership of Chart Singh, the grandfather of Ranjit Singh and chief of the Sansi Sikhs, who established his residence at Gujranwala and ravaged the country widely. He was succeeded by his son Mahan Singh, who conquered Jammûn and shed a sea of blood at Râmnagar. A son having been born to him in St. 1837 [A.D. 1780] he spent large sums in alms and called him Maharaja Ranjit Singh, but at the age of five years the boy was, to the immense grief of his father, deprived of the sight of one eye by small-pox. The martial education of Ranjit Singh began at the age of nine years, when he learnt the use of arms and was appointed an officer. The first action in which he took part, was the taking of the fort of Sohdrà in which he distinguished himself; but his father, having fallen sick, returned to Gujranwala where he died, and Ranjit Singh found himself at the head of the government before he had completed his twelfth year. His mother, however, retained a decided authority, and allowed full power to Lakhpat Rai the
The first of the four invasions of Ahmad Shah Abdall into India, took place A.D. 1747-48.
In 1767 he was once more called to India and quelled a fresh outbreak of the Sikhs, but died in 1778 in his own country.
According to the Tarikh Bultant, p. 185, Zamin Shah
13. At that time the inhabitants of Lahor were distressed by three tyrannical governors, each of whom ruled over a portion of the city and levied rates. One of them being Chait Singh, the other Sahib Singh Bhangi and the third Mohar Singh. Having been invited by the population to depose these men and to assume the government, Ranjit Singh marched with his troops from Gujrânwâlâ and when he
amazed at the depredations committed by the Sikhs in the Pañjab, was at a loss what to do, and fearing they would repeat them after his departure, determined to make one of themselves their governor, and appointed Ranjit Singh to that post in Lahor A.H. 1212 (A.D. 1797] when he again came to India.
